


Bonding

by Titch360



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 15:21:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14263929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titch360/pseuds/Titch360
Summary: From boredom, creativity strikes.  Also, a little caring can be all someone needs to get through.





	Bonding

Bonding

 

Damian found himself in an unfamiliar position this Friday afternoon.  The first summer session at Gotham State University had ended the previous Friday.  The second summer session didn’t begin for another week.  He had no pending issues to work on.  He, for once, wasn’t in a mood to draw.  He had just finished speaking with Robin over Skype.

In other words, Damian was bored.

It was a quiet, summer Friday, and a strange one in the Manor.  The entire family had taken the day off, yet hadn’t made plans to actually do anything.  Finding nothing better to do, Damian had taken to wandering aimlessly around the house.

His activity was noticed by his brothers as he passed the various rooms they were occupying.  They were just as bored as he was.  Only one, however, decided to do something about it.

As Damian made to start his second loop around the Manor, his assassin-trained senses kicked in.  He was being followed.  He had to fight with himself, even this far removed from the League of Assassins, not to jump into full defensive mode.  Damian was in his home, around his family.  He was safe.  If anything was going on, it was most likely one of his brothers, looking to cause trouble.

Reaching the Grandfather clock entrance to the Batcave, Damian opened the portal and headed down to the cave.  Listening intently, he noticed that it took an extra three seconds for the clock to close behind him.

Damian smiled to himself as he thought, _So, I seem to be the attraction today.  I wonder which one is following me._

Damian didn’t have to wonder for too much longer.  As he reached the bottom step, a hand made contact with him between his shoulder blades, and pushed him the remaining step.  Damian stumbled forward, barely able to keep his balance.

Damian spun around and glared at Jason, who stood at the base of the stairs, giving the teen a large smile.  “What the hell, Todd?  You trying to kill me?”

There was no real malice in Damian’s tone, and Jason’s smirk didn’t flee at the rebuke.  “Hey, Squirt. Have a nice trip?”

Damian rolled his eyes, “Are you a travel agent now?”

Jason shook his head, “I’m bored.”

Damian sighed, “I know the feeling.  How did you go from that to attempted murder?”

Jason rolled his eyes, “Come on.  If I was trying to kill you, I would have pushed you from the top of the stairs.”

Damian shrugged as he considered the statement, “Yeah, I guess you would.  What do you want?”

Jason looked hopeful, “You wanna fight?”

Damian looked at his brother incredulously, “What?”

“We’re both bored, right?”

Damian shrugged, “I guess so.”

Jason smirked, “Haven’t you always wondered who would win between us?”

Damian shook his head, “Actually, no.  I already know the answer to that.  I won before, and I can do it again.”

Jason looked confused, “When have we ever fought?”

It was Damian’s turn to smirk, “Did I hit you so hard that you blocked it out of your memory?  I seem to remember taking Red Hood down pretty convincingly a couple years back.”

Jason had forgotten the incident, but shrugged and asked, “Well, isn’t it time for a rematch, then?”

Damian thought for a second, then shrugged, “It’s something to do.  How do we start?  I don’t think anyone has ever just asked me to fight.  Do we just…”

Damian stopped talking as Jason rushed him, picked the teen up, and threw him as far as he could.

Damian landed with a grim smile on his face, “Is that how you want to play this?”

Jason just nodded as he rushed at Damian again.  Damian dove out of the way of the charge, but made sure to leave his foot in the air a second longer than necessary, catching Jason in the stomach.  It didn’t really hurt the larger man, but hurting each other wasn’t the goal of the activity.

Jason and Damian circled each other, taking a more cautious approach as they appreciated how expert their opponent was.  Using his greater reach, Jason threw a couple short jabs, which Damian blocked or avoided with ease.  On Jason’s last jab, Damian took a step forward and threw a jab of his own.  Jason had no trouble blocking it, and when Damian threw a second punch, Jason caught and held the fist.

Smiling evilly, Jason lifted the teen off the ground by his one arm and punched Damian in the stomach.  Damian could tell that Jason pulled his punch, but it was still hard enough to cause Damian to cough out a breath and cringe a bit.

Jason flung the teen away and said, “Jason one, Demon nothing.”

Damian smirked, “You want to see the Demon?  I’ll show him to you.”

Damian approached and quickly ducked under Jason’s attempt to grab him again.  Quickly, he threw two jabs to Jason’s side, causing the man to flinch and move away with a pained squeak.  Damian kicked at the back of Jason’s knee, causing the taller man to stumble and drop to a knee.  Quickly coming up behind Jason, Damian wrapped an arm around Jason’s throat in a choke hold.  He started to squeeze when Jason stood up and started to lean back.  A flashback hit Damian hard, and he quickly let go and retreated a couple steps.

Jason turned and looked at Damian was a raised eyebrow.  Damian shook his head, eyeing his brother warily.  “No.  Don’t do that.”

Jason was curious as to why not, but recognized the haunted tone in Damian’s voice, and let it go with a nod.

“Do you want to continue?”

Damian took a couple deep breaths before nodding, “Yeah.  This is fun.”

Jason and Damian approached each other again, wading in like boxers.  In an unspoken agreement, both combatants limited their shots to body blows.  They blocked just about every punch thrown at them, so placement really didn’t seem to matter.

As the fight wore on, Jason realized something.  _Damian is all about quick takedowns, not protracted fights.  He isn’t used to fighting someone long enough for them to learn tells.  He’s dropping his left.  I can take advantage of that._

Jason watched Damian for a few more seconds before he took his opportunity.  Damian’s left arm fell just a couple inches, and Jason pressed his advantage with a right cross.  He caught Damian in the temple a little harder than he meant to, and the teen nearly went down.

Damian shouted in pain and turned away from Jason, holding the side of his head.  “OW!  Damn it, that hurt!”

Caught off-guard, Jason came out of his fighting stance and approached the teen, “Damian, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to hit you that hard.”

Jason wasn’t suspicious of the teen, but he should have been.  Just as Jason was about to gently rest a hand on Damian’s shoulder, Damian dropped to the ground, wrapped his legs around Jason’s, and twisted, driving his older brother into the ground.  Jason gave a shout of surprise on his way down, and only just stopped himself from slamming his nose into the floor.

Damian was lying on the floor next to Jason, laughing, “Did you think I’d leave such an obvious opening like that?”

Jason smiled at the trickery and hooked his legs around Damian’s, keeping the teen from rolling away, “Let’s see how quick you are when you can’t move your legs.”

Jason rolled and ended up laying on top of Damian.  He tried to pin the teen’s arms to the ground, but Damian gave a good fight.  Admittedly, Jason had to concede that Damian was stronger than he thought he would be.  He was quicker, too, and Jason wasn’t able to corral both of Damian’s arms.

Through some Dick Grayson-level twist, Damian was able to free his legs.  He pushed off the ground, creating a little space, before bringing his legs up to lock around Jason’s torso.  Damian then lunged up and wrapped his arms around Jason’s neck again, finding a new choke hold.  Jason tried rolling, but it didn’t help to loosen the grip his younger brother had on him.

“Both of you, stop it!  Stop it right now!”

Dick’s voice surprised both Damian and Jason.  Damian let up on his choke hold, but neither let go of the other.  They both looked over to see Dick and Tim stalking up to the combatants.  Dick started pulling them apart.  It wasn’t an easy task, but he managed it.

They stood as Dick glared at them, “What is this about?  We don’t do this.  You two are brothers.  You are brothers and you love each other.  You are brothers and you love each other, and you will keep loving each other until _I_ tell you to stop.  Guess what, I’m never going to do that.  Now, what the hell are you two doing?”

Jason looked over at Damian.  Damian looked over at Jason.  Matching evil grins materialized on their faces, and with a rising war cry, both brothers charged at their unsuspecting brethren.  Dick and Tim wore matching expressions of shock as they dodged and blocked strikes.  Jason and Damian purposely missed their marks, letting their brothers know through their actions that this wasn’t a serious attack.

Able to dodge and deflect Damian off to the side for a second, Tim asked loudly, “Why are we fighting?”

Damian smirked as he stood up and met Tim’s confused eye.  “Because we’re bored,” Damian said before charging at Tim again.

Dick spoke up as he blocked a nearly endless series of strikes from Jason, “So, you are combating boredom with combat?”

Tim smiled, “ _Fighting_ boredom?  I like it.”

“So, what are we playing,” Dick asked, “Odds and evens?”

Damian called out, “Every man for himself.”

“That leaves you out, little boy,” Tim said, challenging the teen who was nearly as tall as he was.

Damian gave a cruel smirk as Tim charged and tackled Damian.  They hit the ground hard, but Damian rolled his back and used Tim’s momentum, and a well-timed kick, to launch his older brother off of him.

“What are the rules,” Dick asked.

Jason stopped, chuckling, “What rules?”

Dick matched the smile and pressed his own attack, wondering why they had never thought to do this before.

Tim was steadily driving Damian back, towards where Dick and Jason were sparring, before the teen dropped and swept Tim’s feet out from under him.  Tim shouted on the way down, but was smiling the whole time.  Tim lifted his head to see Damian looking like he was going to press his advantage, but Damian instead turned and ran at Dick.  He jumped and launched a drop kick to Dick’s shoulder.  Dick fell slowly, his eyes wide in surprise at the sneak attack.

Jason smirked as Tim jumped from behind, knocking both of them into Dick and Damian.  Jason grabbed Damian’s arms as he was trying to get a complicated arm bar lock on Dick, and stretched the teen out.  Dick smiled at the distraction and began slapping Damian’s belly over and over.  He would have kept going, but Jason had to let go of the teen to defend himself as Tim wrapped Jason in a full Nelson.

Released, Damian rolled until he managed to pull Dick’s arm into an MMA-style arm bar.  Jason finally shook Tim off, and the third brother landed on top of Dick and Damian.  Not trying to hurt anyone, Damian let go of Dick’s arm before Tim landed on them.  Jason dove on top of everyone, and in the tangle of arms and legs, it was impossible to tell who was doing what.

“ENOUGH!”

Bruce’s voice reverberated throughout the subterranean space, scaring a couple bats out of the cave.  The boys stopped and stared as Bruce stomped his way over to the tangle of sons on the cave floor.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Bruce shouted, “What is the meaning of this?”

Looking at each other for half a minute, all four boys started laughing.

“This isn’t funny,” Bruce yelled, “What is going on here?”

Dick took a deep breath, “Bruce, you of all people should know, in this house, bonding is a full contact sport.”

“We were bored, Father,” Damian spoke up.

Bruce glared, “You were bored.  So, you decided to beat each other up?”

Tim smiled, “We weren’t fighting each other; we were fighting boredom.”

Bruce did a double-take at his intelligent son before saying, “Alright.  Up, all of you.”

It took a minute for the boys to untangle themselves, but they were all still smiling as they formed a line in front of Bruce.  Bruce couldn’t help noticing that Dick had his arms wrapped around both Jason’s and Tim’s shoulders, and that Tim had a hand casually draped over Damian’s shoulder.  The boys looked no worse for wear, and all had some form of smile on their exertion-reddened faces.

_It doesn’t look as bad as I thought it might.  There might be a couple bruises tomorrow, but their bond seems to be as strong as ever._

“Okay, who started it?”

Dick and Tim looked around, wanting to know that answer themselves.

Jason gave a sheepish smile and raised a hand, “I guess it was my idea.”

“I agreed to it, though,” Damian said quickly.

Bruce wasn’t surprised that a family melee was Jason’s idea, but he was surprised Jason would admit to it so freely.  “Is anybody hurt?”

All four boys shook their heads.  “We weren’t trying to hurt each other,” Damian said, “It was just something to do.  Come on, do you honestly think I couldn’t take Jason in far less than the half-hour we were sparring, if this was a real fight?”

“Watch it, Short Stuff,” Jason murmured.

Dick looked between his brothers, very curious as to who would win between the brawler and the assassin.

Bruce shook his head and sighed, “With you four, one can never tell.  Next time, just try Monopoly.”

Jason smirked, “Full Contact Monopoly, got it.  Just wait until you see my hostile takeover.”

Bruce just shook his head as he walked out of the cave, with Dick and Tim following in his wake.  Jason and Damian were following, but Damian stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

“Hey, Jason?”

Jason stopped, “Yeah?”

Damian looked up, a bit tentatively, “Um, thanks.  That was fun.”

Jason gave a soft smile, “Bet you never thought we would have fun together.”

All kidding aside, Damian replied, “I hoped we would.  We’re really not all that different.”

Jason winked at the teen and patted his shoulder, “I had fun too, kid.  Don’t let that get around, though.  We have reputations to keep up.”

_Later that night…_

Anytime that Batman actively wanted to take Robin on patrol lately had become a special time for the sidekick.  In the past, he would jump at the chance to go out with any of the older sidekicks.  However, since his last patrol with Red Robin had ended with kidnapping and days of torture, Robin had been sticking closer to Batman.

Robin was scared, and even though the whole Batfamily knew it, Robin would only ever admit it out loud to his therapist.

Robin had a hard time killing his smile after Batman had told him, “You’re coming with me tonight.”  He had been ready to go half an hour before Batman had even entered the cave.

This afternoon’s brotherly bonding had left smiles on all of the boy’s faces, and even though he wouldn’t admit it, Batman appreciated the looseness he noticed in his partners.

Bruce had entered the cave to find his youngest waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, just a mask away from being Robin.

“You’re ready early, Dam…”

Bruce stopped talking as his son hugged him tightly.  He returned the hug for a minute before asking softly, “What’s that for?”

Damian looked up with a soft smile, “Just wanted to thank you.”

“For what,” Bruce asked.

“For understanding earlier.”

Bruce looked down at his son, “Is that all that’s going on?”

Damian looked down as Bruce started to change into his Batman uniform, “Well…not really.  Dinah claimed I had some sort of breakthrough in our session last night.  Maybe I did.  I don’t know, but I feel a bit better.”

Bruce gave a content smile, “You’ve never talked about your sessions before.  It must be something good, if you’re mentioning it now.”

Damian blushed a bit, “I…I didn’t think you wanted to know about it.  You’ve never asked.”

Bruce cupped Damian’s cheek softly, “It’s not that I didn’t want to know; I just understand the process you’re going through right now.  You see, after my parents were murdered, Alfred had me in therapy for a while.  You’ve only been doing this for a couple months; it was years before I had my first breakthrough.  I know you need time.  I didn’t want to push you.”

Damian looked up, holding Bruce’s hand to his cheek, “I appreciate that, Father.  I would like to talk to you about it, sometime.  Dinah said I should, but only if I want to.  Well, I want to.”

Bruce picked up his cowl, then stopped and asked, “Did you want to now, or later?”

Damian thought for a second before replying, “Later.  It’s important, but not so important that it can’t wait for us to get home from patrol.”

Bruce nodded, “Something to look forward to, then.”

Bruce settled the cowl over his head, then took the mask out of Damian’s hand.  Damian looked at Bruce curiously before Bruce pressed the mask in place gently on his son’s face.  Bruce smiled at his boy and said, “Just something I wanted to do.  Come on, there is a new gang on the North side that we need to gather some intelligence on.”

The Batmobile streaked through the Gotham night towards the north end of the city.  Reports had reached Batman of a newer gang working the south end of Gotham Heights and the Northern Merchant District.  A few carjacking’s and a handful of B&E’s were all that could be attributed to the gang so far, but they were growing bolder in their crimes.  Commissioner Gordon had given Batman a possible location for the gang headquarters, and told him that there were Vice officers on stand-by if they were needed.  Batman promised to take a look and let the Commissioner know what was going on with the group.

Robin looked at their surroundings before speaking up, “Hey, Batman?”

“Yes, Robin?”

Robin looked over at the man in black, “While we’re here, since we’re close, do you think we can take a quick pass by Avalon Court?”

Batman thought about the question, then the location, before rolling his eyes under his cowl.  Batman sighed as he said, “Your girlfriend isn’t there, Robin.  You know that.  You talked to her this morning.  What good will driving by Robin’s house do, when she won’t know you were there?”

Robin smirked, “She _will_ know, though.  You know that the Abbey’s still own the house.  The last time they were in town, Mr. Abbey put up security cameras.  Plus, I told them I would check on their house every so often.  So far, I’ve been, uh… _borrowing_ a League satellite to look at the house, but since we’re in the area, it would be easier to just take a look.”

Batman was quiet for a second before turning down a side street.  Batman didn’t have to look to see Robin’s smile.

“We aren’t stopping, and you aren’t getting out to wave at the house.  We’re just passing by.”

As soon as the Batmobile turned down Avalon Court, Robin pressed his face against the side window.  Batman slowed down a little more than he had planned, but didn’t stop.

Robin gave a contented sigh, “Thank you, Batman.”

Batman had a hard time not smiling at his son.  “By the way,” Batman said, a fatherly tone in his voice, “when you hijack League satellites in the future, it might be a good idea to remind your girlfriend that you are not the only one who will see the footage.”

Robin blushed a deep red in embarrassment.  “I already told her,” Robin muttered.

Batman shook his head, “You’re lucky that Red Robin was on monitoring duty when she decided to give the galaxy a peep show.”

Batman didn’t think it was possible for Robin to blush any harder, but he did.  “I didn’t tell her to take her shirt off,” Robin said meekly.

“You didn’t tell her to put it back on, either.  You’re lucky no one outside of the family saw that.”

“Well…”

_I don’t like his tone of voice.  How is this going to get worse?_   “Yes?”

Robin sighed, “Red Robin and I had to hack into Google, to erase that image from a Google Earth server.  Ours wasn’t the only satellite looking at that particular area of Alaska that day.”

Batman shook his head and sighed roughly, “Oh god.  Were you able to erase the data from the servers?”

Robin nodded, “Yes, we got it.”

A thought occurred to Batman, “Are the pictures gone, or are they sitting on your laptop hard drive?”

Robin sighed, but owned up to what he was pretty sure Batman already knew, “I have a copy.  It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.  It’s a lot tamer than other pictures she’s sent me, or that I’ve sent her.”

Batman sighed again, “This isn’t exactly a comfortable topic for me, son.  Did she at least take your warning?”

Robin nodded, “Yes.  She also asked not to see Red Robin again until our wedding.  She thinks she will be too embarrassed to face him.”

Batman thought for a second before saying, “She doesn’t want to see your brother for the next five years?”

Robin turned his head quickly, “Three and a half, Father, and I’m sure she will forget about it sooner than that.”

Batman gave the smallest of smirks, “Will Red Robin forget before then?”

Robin sighed, “I’m expecting a smirk of some sort from him the next time Robin comes over.”

Batman nodded, “Get your head in the game.  We’re here.”

The Batmobile was parked in an alley three blocks from Commissioner Gordon’s suspected gang location.  Batman and Robin ascended to the roof of an apartment building to scout out the area.  Moving quickly, Batman rappelled across the street and then up to the roof of a taller building.  Batman crossed the next street, then began running and jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

Robin kept pace with Batman, content to follow where he was led.  After their fifth rooftop, Batman looked down at Robin and found the teen with flushed cheeks and a large smile on his face.  Batman and Robin stopped on the next rooftop, and Batman liked that Robin’s smile hadn’t faded.

Robin looked up inquisitively, and Batman said, “Just working off a little energy before our stakeout.”

Robin nodded, and they approached the edge of the building.  “What did Gordon say the name of this gang is, Batman?”

“Jim said they are calling themselves Sixth Ward,” Batman said as they started an observation of the street below.

It didn’t take long for Robin to give a derisive snort, “Sixth Ward Bar?  Why not just put up a sign that says ‘Gang Headquarters’?”

Batman had to stop himself from laughing as he noticed the bar in question, “I guess we found their secret hideout.  Start making your observations of the people, Robin.”

Half an hour later, Batman was pointing a miniature laser microphone as a second floor window, listening in on a conversation between two gang members.  Robin was watching people on the street and taking the occasional picture of suspected gang members.

“Is this a popular local bar, Batman,” Robin murmured, “There are a lot of people out tonight that I wouldn’t classify as gang related.”

Batman didn’t turn his head, “You’d have to ask Red Hood about popular bars.  I’m not exactly known for bar-hopping.”

Robin glanced over, “Would Hood know about bars in this part of town?  I thought his expertise was in South Gotham?”

“His expertise leans more towards bars than areas.”

Robin rolled his eyes as a group of people walked away from the bar and headed for an alley on Batman’s side of the street.  “Where are they going,” Robin wondered out loud.

“Are they suspected gang members, Robin,” Batman asked, taking notice of the group as well.

Robin nodded slightly, “I believe so.  Some of them, at least.”

A series of cheers rose from the Dynamic Duo’s right.  They both looked in that direction, and Robin guessed, “Street fight?”

Another cheer rose, and Batman said, “Probably a gang initiation.  Go check it out.  Observe, don’t interfere.”

Robin nodded and ghosted away from Batman’s side.  He followed his ears three buildings away and peered over the edge.  In the alley below, a large group of people were crowded around as three suspected gang members punched and kicked a person, who was lying on the ground.

“Just a fight, Batman,” Robin said softly, “I think you’re right about the initiation.”

“Very well,” Batman replied.  “Robin, I’m entering the bar to take a closer look.  Keep an eye on the fight and make sure it doesn’t get out of hand.”

Robin didn’t respond.  He was already following orders, and Batman didn’t expect a response.  Robin returned his attention to the fight in the alley.

“What is that thing?”

“How the hell did he get like that?”

“Who cares?  Hit him again.  We’ll teach him to be weird around here.”

_What are these idiots talking about?  I wish they weren’t blocking my view of their victim; it might make a little more sense._

The crowd parted a bit, and what Robin saw almost stopped his heart.  _Oh, no._

Ignoring Batman’s previous order, Robin jumped off of the four-story building, landing feet first on the shoulders of a gang member who was getting ready to punch his victim again.  The man was knocked out immediately, and a cry of ‘run!’ sounded at the sight of the Bat sidekick.

Robin was easily able to figure out which of the crowd were the gang members by who stuck around after the call to flee.  It only took two and a half minutes for Robin to knock out the remaining eleven novice gang members.

Robin sighed at the easy fight before turning back to the victim of the night.  Activating his radio, Robin said, “Batman, I need you to send me the car.”

“Where do you think you’re going, Robin,” Batman said quietly.

Robin knelt to check vitals, “I had to break up the fight.  They were going to kill him.  I have to get him medical attention.”

“Call an ambulance,” Batman said, “You aren’t putting some beating victim in the Batmobile.”

“It’s Beast Boy,” Robin said desperately.

“What,” Batman exclaimed.

“He’s injured, unconscious,” Robin said.

“Why do you need the car?”

Robin looked up, “We need to get him to the Watchtower for treatment.”

Batman nodded, “Activate your tracker, the car is on the way.  Good thinking about the Watchtower; J’onn is on duty tonight.”

That confused Robin, “Jon takes Watchtower shifts?”

“Martian Manhunter,” Batman said, “Not Superboy.”

_I should have realized that,_ Robin thought.  “Oh.  Well, that is what I was hoping for.  Do you want me to pick you up?”

“No,” Batman said, “There are enough drugs and guns here to bust this gang.  I’ll call Gordon and have him order a SWAT team in.  I’ll call for the car when I’m ready to leave.  You better go.”

“Good luck, Father,” Robin said, picking up Beast Boy and putting him in the passenger seat of the newly arrived Batmobile.  It was just hitting Robin that Batman was allowing him to drive as he took off for the cave.

_Several Hours Later…_

“Hello, Beast Boy.  Please, don’t try to move.”

The emerald youth blinked several times as he regained consciousness.  He was lying in a bed in an unfamiliar, antiseptically white room.  His eyes widened and he would have jumped out of bed at the sight of the green face leaning over him, if his side didn’t hurt so much.

“Holy shit!  I’ve been abducted by aliens!”

Martian Manhunter just sighed and rolled his eyes, “Please settle yourself.  You really need to…”

Beast Boy interrupted again with a wince, “Why do I hurt?  Oh, God.  You probed me, didn’t you?  You abducted me and probed me!”

A new voice sounded from the other side of the room, “He’s not wrong, you know.”

Beast Boy lifted his head and his jaw dropped, “Robin?”

Martian Manhunter turned to Robin and said, “Maybe, but you were the one to do the abducting.”

Robin approached the bed, “Is he going to be okay?”

Martian Manhunter could feel the genuine concern coming from Robin, “With rest, there should be no complications.  I’ll leave you to explain things.”

The alien left the Watchtower medical bay as Robin took a seat on the edge of the bed.  Beast Boy was still in shock at the appearance of Robin at his bedside.

They stared at each other for a minute before Robin shook his head and said, “You idiot.  What the hell were you doing, out alone after dark in Gotham City?  Were you trying to get yourself killed?”

Beast Boy cringed at the rebuke, but asked his own questions, “Where are we, Robin?  Who was that?  What’s going on?”

Robin sighed, “We’re on the Watchtower.  That was Martian Manhunter…”

Beast Boy’s eyes grew wide and a disbelieving smile crossed his face as he interrupted, “We’re in _space_?”

Beast Boy tried to sit up, but winced sharply at the pain in his side.  Robin held the youth down with a hand on his shoulder, “Don’t move.  Didn’t you hear Martian Manhunter?  You’re hurt.”

Beast Boy stopped trying to sit up with an exhausted breath, “What happened?”

Robin scooted a little closer to the green youth’s head and said, “When I found you, a gang had decided they wanted you dead.  They were so crowded around you, it was hard to see you.  Once I realized who was getting beaten, I jumped in and got you out.  You weren’t doing well, so I brought you here for treatment.”

Beast Boy winced again, “It hurts to breathe.  What happened to me?”

Robin looked down, “It’s going to hurt for a while.  Martian Manhunter reported that you had two broken ribs and a collapsed lung.  You also had a busted lip and…well, normally I would call them two black eyes, but yours are still green.  Just, you know, a darker shade of green.”

“Am I going to be okay,” Beast Boy asked with a hint of fear in his voice.

“If you take it easy for a couple weeks, you should heal just fine.  I guess I can let you out of team training until you heal.”

The boys were silent for a minute while Beast Boy absorbed his injury report.  Robin finally said, “You know, this answered a couple questions about you for me.”

Beast Boy looked up and asked, “Whether I’m green all over?”

Robin blushed a bit, then said, “Well, yes.  That was one of my questions.”

“I get that a lot,” Beast Boy said indignantly.

Robin looked down, “Sorry.”

Beast Boy sighed, “What was your other question?”

“If your blood was red or green.”

Beast Boy eyed Robin, “That’s…a little creepy.”

Robin shrugged, “I wasn’t going to go out of my way to find out, but since you were bleeding when I found you, it fed my curiosity.”

Beast Boy seemed to accept that explanation.  Robin asked, “Are you going to tell me what you were doing in Gotham City, now?”

Beast Boy looked around, “Can I sit up first?”

Robin pressed a button on the bed, raising Beast Boy’s head slowly.  He winced a little as he settled into his new elevation, “Thanks.  I was traveling with my mom.  She works for a movie studio as a location scout.  She retired from acting when I was born.  She came here for work, and I’d never been to Gotham City before, so I got to come with.”

Robin cocked his head, “Don’t you have to go to school?”

Beast Boy answered with a confused look on his face, “It’s Summer.  Plus, I’m homeschooled, for obvious reasons.”

Robin shrugged, “Okay, that explains being in town.  Why were you walking around gang territory alone at night?”

Beast Boy shook his head, “There are no gangs in that area.  Mom researched it before we came.  She said she wouldn’t have brought me if it was a gang area.”

Robin stared at Beast Boy, then admitted, “They’re new.  Shouldn’t be a problem after tonight, though.  Who did you think was trying to kill you?”

Beast Boy looked down sadly, “I, um, I get that all the time.  People think I’m contagious, or something.”  Beast Boy sniffled mightily, and Robin saw the tears start to fall.  “Mom keeps telling me that it’s not easy being green.”

Beast Boy seemed to collapse in on himself as he started crying, covering his face with his hands.  Robin sighed as he leaned forward and pulled the boy into a hug.  Beast Boy buried his face in Robin’s shoulder, only able to wrap one arm around his team leader; it hurt too much to move his other arm.

Robin let him go for a minute before saying softly, “You really shouldn’t cry; you’ll hurt your ribs again.  They aren’t being held together by too much.”

“I’m different,” Beast Boy sobbed, “That doesn’t mean I should be executed for it.  Why does this keep happening?”

Robin gave an unseen smile, “Because you’re different.  Everyone is different.  Believe me, there are a lot worse things in this world than being green.  You could be an asshole, like me.  That’s far worse than being green.”

Beast Boy barked a sarcastic laugh, lifting his head from Robin’s shoulder, “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”  Beast Boy looked back down for a second, “I got your cape all wet.”

Robin looked at his shoulder, “I’d rather have that than your blood on my shirt again.”

Martian Manhunter stuck his head in the medical bay, “Robin, you are required in the Communications Room.”

Robin nodded, then patted Beast Boy on the shoulder, “Rest, Beast Boy.  I’ll be back soon.”

Robin followed the green alien into the Communications Room of the asteroid base, and was directed to a panel.

“Hello?”

“Robin, where are you?”

Robin was confused at the question that came in his Father’s voice, “The Communications Room of the Watchtower.  Where did you think you were calling, Batman?”

Robin could hear Batman’s eye roll from orbit, “I know where you are, Robin.  It’s been four hours and you haven’t reported in.”

Robin was still confused, “You knew I got here safely.  There hasn’t been anything to report until just a few minutes ago, when Beast Boy woke up.”

“Speaking of that,” Batman said, “I’m with Commissioner Gordon.”

“How did the bust go,” Robin interrupted.

“The gang put up more of a fight that I was predicting, but we took them down.  Gordon was a little late in getting here, because he had a very serious report of a kidnapped child to take care of.”

Robin gasped at the report.  Batman knew that cases involving children tended to trigger his young partner.  “Oh, no.  Did you want me to come back, to help you look for the kid?”

Batman sighed, “No, I don’t think that would be a good idea right now.  Not if you want to stay out of jail, at least.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The report was filed by one Megan Logan.  It seems her son was last seen being carried into _my_ car, by _you._ ”

Robin cringed, “She filed a missing persons report?  Well, he’s not missing.  You can clear this up.”

“Not until he calls his mother,” Batman said sharply.  “Why didn’t you just take him to a local hospital?”

Robin’s eyes widened under his mask, “Are you kidding?  He’s _green_.  A local hospital would have fixed his injuries, then they would have dissected him.”

Batman thought for a second before saying, “You’re probably right.  You know what to do now.”

Robin nodded, “I’ll get him to call his mother.”

_Back on Earth…_

Commissioner Gordon smiled at the half of the conversation he overheard.  “So, is Robin on the hook for kidnapping?  Where should I serve the warrant?”

Batman rolled his eyes at the smirk on the older man’s face, then thought about the questions, “Yes, and no.  He saved Logan’s life, then took him for medical care at a Justice League facility.”

Gordon was confused, “What is this kid to you, or to Robin?”

Batman sighed, knowing he had no choice but to explain, “Garfield Logan is in a Justice League training program with Robin, for the next generation of crime fighters.  He is also known as Beast Boy.  He has…special powers.”

Gordon eyed Batman, “You’re throwing around his secret identity pretty freely.”

Batman growled, “Since his mother filed the report under his birth name, you would have found out as soon as you saw him.”

Gordon gave a calculating look, “So, his mother knows who you are?”

Batman looked up sharply, _what are you getting at, Jim?_   “She knows of Batman.  I’ve never actually met Ms. Logan, and to the best of my knowledge, Garfield doesn’t know our identities.  Interrogating the kid won’t tell you anything, Jim.”

Gordon nodded, “Ms. Logan will be here in a minute.  Her hotel isn’t too far from here.  I guess what really surprises me is that you have Robin in a training program.”

Batman shrugged, giving the tiniest of smirks, “Robin is _leading_ the training program.”

Gordon was shaking his head as a distraught-looking woman approached the crime fighter and the Commissioner.  “Hello, Ms. Logan.  I’m Police Commissioner James Gordon, and…”

Jim trailed off as the woman ignored him in favor of turning to the Dark Knight.  “Batman, thank god.  I’m…I’m Megan Logan.  My son, Garfield, is missing.  Oh, um, you probably know him as Beast Boy.  He’s thirteen, about five foot nine, green all over.  He said he met you once.”

Batman held up a hand, to get the woman to stop talking, “I know who he is, Ms. Logan.”

She nodded, “Please, you have to help me find him.”

“Relax,” Batman said firmly, “Your son is not missing.”

The woman’s eyes widened, “You know where he is?”

“Beast Boy was attacked in an alley, right across the street.”

Gordon turned around, “That’s where my officers found twelve unconscious gang members.”

Batman continued, “I’m sure they are part of the gang we took down tonight.  Robin found them beating Beast Boy, and stopped them.  He took Beast Boy for medical care.  He is not missing.”

Megan sighed expansively, “Oh, thank god.  Where is my boy?  I need to see him.”

Batman shook his head, “That won’t be possible.  We couldn’t trust a local hospital to treat him, without some form of experimentation.  Robin took him to the Justice League headquarters on the Watchtower.”

Megan looked confused, “Is that some sort of ship?”

Knowing how bizarre it sounded, Batman spoke with a straight face, “It’s our asteroid base, in Earth orbit.”

Megan looked like her mind had just slammed to a halt, “As in…outer space?”

_I knew she would have a hard time with that one._  “I assure you, he is getting the best care possible.  Robin reported he is awake now.  He should be calling you soon.”

“Let me get this straight,” Megan pierced Batman with a glare of her own, “My son was attacked by a gang, and you took him to space?”

“Robin made a judgement call.”

“And you trust a _teenager_ to make a call like that?”

“Didn’t _you_ trust a teenager to walk across Gotham City alone?”  Batman met her glare evenly, “You trusted Robin enough to allow your son to join his training group.  Superman told you himself that Robin is leading the group.  He kept your son alive and protected during the Brainiac invasion.  Do you not believe that Robin has Beast Boy’s best interests at heart?”

_Meanwhile…_

Robin walked back into the Watchtower’s medical bay to find Beast Boy dozing.  The boys needed to talk, but Robin couldn’t bring himself to wake the green teen.  Instead, Robin pulled up a chair and waited.

An hour passed before Beast Boy woke up again with a cringe as he moved his broken ribs.  “Sorry, I must have dozed off.”

Robin shook his head, “That’s okay.  It’s been a long night; I could use some sleep myself.  Why were you out alone, Beast Boy?”

Beast Boy sighed and looked down as the questioning continued, “I was bored.”

Robin leaned forward, “Come again?”

“We were sitting in our hotel room.  Mom was working, and I was bored.  We thought it wasn’t a gang area; Mom’s research said this area of town was safe.  I had seen a place a couple blocks down the street that I wanted to check out, so I went for a walk.”  Beast Boy started to cry again, “I just wanted a slice of pizza.”

Robin sighed as the waterworks started again.  He leaned forward and patted Beast Boy’s knee, “It’s okay.  You survived.  Next time, you’ll know how to defend yourself.”

“That’s just it,” Beast Boy sniffled, “I know how to defend myself.  I’ve been attacked for being different my whole life.  I don’t know why I didn’t see it this time.”

Robin spoke gently, “You’re away from home.  Things are unfamiliar to you here.”

Beast Boy met Robin’s eyes, “You won’t always be around to save me, though.  I think that’s why Mom allowed me to join the training group.  Why didn’t I see what was happening until it was too late?”

“You got complacent.  It’s okay; it happens.  We’ll work on situational awareness.  At least, once you’ve healed and are able to rejoin the group.  There is no reason to let this deter you.  Gotham is an intolerant place.  Don’t let the actions of some idiots change you from being you.”

Beast Boy stared at Robin for a minute after wiping his eyes.  He spoke softly, “You’re a good friend, Robin.  Thank you.  Hey, why did you stay with me?”

Robin hid his shocked look at Beast Boy’s honest statement, “Don’t you remember your reaction to waking up here?  How much worse would it have been if I hadn’t been here?”

Beast Boy shrugged, “Well…yeah.  I guess you’re right.”

Robin nodded, “Besides, I can’t go home yet.”

“Why not,” Beast Boy asked, confused.

“Because your mother reported you as missing.”

Beast Boy’s eyes widened dramatically, “Oh, Mom!  She must be worried sick.”

Robin nodded, “She is.  She called the police and reported you missing.  Someone saw me take you away from the alley, to bring you here, and reported it to the police.  Now, Batman is trying to convince the Commissioner that I’m not a kidnapper, while telling your mother that I can be trusted.”

Beast Boy couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “Mom always overreacts.  Wait, how long have I been here?”

Robin shrugged, “Six hours, or so.”

“Wow.  I should call her.”

“I wish you would,” Robin said, “I have things to do today, other than sit in a hospital with a friend.”

Beast Boy’s head snapped up at the mention of friends, but he wisely didn’t mention it.  “Where’s my phone?”

Robin shook his head, “That won’t do you much good here.  You’re in space, remember?”

Beast Boy blushed a bit, “Oh, right.  How do I call, then?”

Robin pushed a button on the bedside table.  A keypad lit up, and Robin said, “Dial your mother’s number in there.”

Beast Boy reached for the keypad, then hesitated, “Do I have to dial 1 first, or, like, hit 9 for an outside line?”

Robin shook his head, “No, just area code and phone number.”

Beast Boy started dialing as Robin got up to leave.  Beast Boy asked, “Where are you going?”

“You can speak to your mother in private,” Robin said.

Beast Boy smiled, “Thanks, Robin, but…come back when I’m done, okay?”

Robin nodded as Ms. Logan answered the call.

Robin walked into the communications room of the Watchtower, looking for a way to keep busy until Beast Boy was done talking to his mother.  Martian Manhunter stood as Robin entered the room.

“Are there any problems, Robin?”

Robin shook his head, “No, just giving him some privacy.”

Martian Manhunter nodded, “That was a very nice thing you did for your friend.”

Robin cocked his head, “Were you listening to us?”

“No,” the alien said, “but you were speaking loudly, and the infirmary is not too far from here.”

_I’m sure your telepathy had nothing to do with it, right?  Maybe I shouldn’t be thinking that right now._   “Oh, sorry.”

“Do not apologize, you did not bother me.  Do you need anything before I leave?”

Robin was surprised by the question, “You’re leaving?”

“My shift is over.”

“Then, who…” Robin’s eyes widened under his mask, “I volunteered for the next monitoring shift.  I totally forgot.”

Martian Manhunter looked at Robin critically, “How long have you been awake, Robin?”

“What time is it,” Robin asked.

Martian Manhunter checked the console, “It is just after nine in the morning, Gotham City time.”

Robin sighed, “About twenty-seven, twenty-eight hours.”

“I can call someone else to cover your shift, Robin.”

Robin shook his head with a sigh, “Not necessary.  I signed up for the shift, I’ll take it.”

“Are you sure?”

Robin nodded, “I’ll just break into Red Robin’s coffee stash.  Is there anything I need to know about Beast Boy before you go?”

Martian Manhunter shook his head, “Make sure he stays in bed and rests.  His ribs have been set and his lung repaired, and I have given him something to accelerate healing, but he should restrict movement for the next day or two.”

“When can he go home,” Robin asked.

“He may leave with you, when your shift is done,” Martian Manhunter reported, “He should be healed enough to travel by then.”

Robin nodded, “I’ll keep him in bed until then.  I need to talk to Batman.  Excuse me.”

Martian Manhunter left as Robin sat at one of the consoles.  Dialing a number, Robin’s call was answered by a familiar, if groggy, voice.

“Hello?”

“Good morning, Father.”

Bruce sighed, “It’s too early to be morning.”

Robin smiled as he checked the time, “It’s nine-thirty, Father.”

“Right,” Bruce yawned, “Too early to talk on a Saturday morning.  You didn’t come home last night.”

Robin shook his head, “No, Father.”

“How’s your friend?”

_There’s that word again._   “He’s doing better.”

“You said you would have him call his mother.  She was expecting a call.”

“He’s talking to her now.  He fell asleep while I was talking to you the last time, and I thought he could use the rest.  J’onn said he could leave when I’m done here.  Have you figured out how to get him home yet?”

“Aren’t you done there,” Bruce asked.

Robin shook his head, “I volunteered for today’s watch shift, remember?”

“This is a secure line, right?”

Robin rolled his eyes, glancing at the green light on the console, “TT, of course.”

Bruce gave a small smile, “Good boy.  I’m still working on getting him home, but at least I got the kidnapping warrant taken care of.”

Robin’s eyes widened, “Gordon issued a warrant?”

Robin could hear Bruce’s smile, “It’s been taken care of, but Jim will most likely give you a hard time about it the next time he sees you.”

Robin shook his head sadly, “Just what I need, someone else second-guessing my decisions.  Is no one going to acknowledge that I made the right choice last night, and took down a dozen gang members that you didn’t have to handle during your bust?”

Bruce took a deep breath, knowing his son’s attitudes.  _He doesn’t want to be where he is right now.  He only gets like this when unexpected things are happening.  He must have forgotten about the watch shift.  Beast Boy is the first one of his teammates to be injured since he’s had his group.  It’s not easy, kiddo, especially when you watched him get beaten for several minutes before realizing it was your friend.  We’ll have a long talk when you get home._   “Thank you for your assistance last night.  You’re right, it would have been much tougher if I had to fight more of them during the bust.  Are you going to be okay covering a monitoring shift?  You sound tired.”

Robin was yawning as Bruce pointed that out, “I’ll be okay.  Saturdays are usually slow.”

Bruce shook his head, “Be sure to keep your friend company.  I’m sure this isn’t easy on him.”

“Yes, Father.”

Damian hung up and called up a status check for the facility.  The only life signs onboard were Beast Boy’s and his own.  The Zeta Tube reported that Martian Manhunter had left five minutes ago.  Everything else was reporting as all clear.  Robin turned to a quick sweep of planetary news channels.  The usual round of conflict and global strife was reported, but nothing of note for Justice League intervention.

Considering another Saturday of boredom, Robin got up to brew a pot of coffee.  Red Robin liked it strong, so it ought to be enough to keep Robin awake for the next eight hours.

Sipping at a cup of coffee, Robin walked back into the medical bay.  Beast Boy brightened as the older, yet shorter, teen walked into the room.

“Hey, Rob.  That took a while.”

Robin nodded as he sat down next to the bed, “Well, I forgot that I volunteered for today’s monitoring shift.  I had to make sure the world wasn’t falling apart before I came back.”

Beast Boy smiled, “That’s cool, that you get to do that.  So, _is_ the world falling apart?”

Robin caught the smirk from the green boy.  He surprised Beast Boy by returning it, “Not on my watch.”

Beast Boy laughed as Robin asked, “What did your mother have to say?”

“She’s glad that I’m going to be alright, but I’m not allowed to come back to Gotham City again.  At the very least, I won’t be allowed out of her sight for a while.”

Robin smiled, “Would you want to come back to Gotham, after what happened this time?”

Beast Boy shrugged with a slight wince, “I don’t know.  There has to be a reason you and Batman stay.  Maybe, next time, you can show me around a bit?”

“Maybe,” Robin shrugged, “Why didn’t you call and tell us you were coming to town?”

Beast Boy gave Robin an almost hostile look, “How?  I don’t have your phone number.  You won’t even tell me your real name, remember?”

_Oh, yeah.  I forgot about that.  I thought they all knew by now.  I’m surprised none of the other kids told him.  I guess they took our lessons about identity security seriously._

“Well, I’m not telling you now.”

“Why not,” Beast Boy asked, surprised.

Robin took a sip of his coffee, “Because you have to go back to Gotham to meet your mother.  The police are watching her closely now.  I guarantee you are going to have to talk to the police about the attack.  They will ask you about our identities.  I don’t want you to have to lie to the police.”

Beast Boy thought for a second, “That’s very thoughtful of you.  Still, it kinda sucks that I’m the only one on the team who doesn’t know who you are.”

Robin thought for a second, “Well, I can’t tell you who I am, but maybe, if you’re observant enough, when you get home, I’ll give you a way to figure it out.”

“Like what,” Beast Boy asked interestedly.

Robin smirked, “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

An alarm sounded from Robin’s utility belt.  Robin pulled out his PDA as Beast Boy asked, “What’s that?”

Robin answered while pulling up information on the screen, “I set the computer to notify me if there is something going on.  It seems the Zeta Tube was just used.”

Beast Boy looked nervous, “What does that mean?”

Robin shook his head, “Don’t worry, it was a League member.  A-0?  Who the hell is A-0?  I thought the identification numbers started with Superman, at A-1.  Stay here, I’ll check it out.”

Robin walked out of the medical bay and headed for the transport room.  Down the hall from the room, Robin stopped in his tracks, shocked.  His jaw dropped as an older man walked towards him.

Not wanting to give anything away, Robin mouthed, _Alfred?_

The incognito butler smiled at the teen, “Good morning, Master Robin.  I believe you missed breakfast.”

Robin looked the man up and down.  On top of his normal suit, the butler was wearing a bowler hat and a black eye mask.  “Is this the infamous ‘Agent A’ I’ve heard about?”

Alfred inclined his head slightly, “At your service, sir.”

“I didn’t know you had your own League clearance and I.D. code.”

Alfred nodded, “Yes.  I believe the last time I had need to use it was before you were born.  Now, is your patient able to leave his convalescent bed, or will this be breakfast in bed?”

Still stunned, Robin looked at the basket Alfred was carrying and said, “Um, Martian Manhunter said he should stay in bed.”

Alfred nodded again, “Very well.  Will you be joining him for breakfast in the infirmary, or will you be eating elsewhere?”

“I can eat with Beast Boy.”

Alfred gave a pleased smile, and Robin called him on it, “What is that look for?  Why would you think I wouldn’t eat with him?”

Alfred shook his head, “I just like seeing you interact with people.  We should serve this, before the food gets cold.”

Beast Boy’s expression brightened when Robin walked back into the infirmary, but he grew a cautious expression when Alfred followed the Boy Wonder into the room.

“Hello,” Beast Boy said nervously.

“Good morning, young sir,” Alfred said.

Robin spoke up, “Beast Boy, this is Agent A.  He is the Justice League’s secret weapon.”

Beast Boy’s eyes widened as Alfred hid a chuckle.  “Wow.  Are you, like, the first ever member of the Justice League?”

Alfred smiled as he started unpacking the basket he brought with him, “Not exactly, my emerald friend.  I’m just here to keep our heroes going.”

Beast Boy looked confused, “How do you do that?”

Robin smirked, “With the greatest superpower of all.”

Beast Boy gasped, “Super strength?  Telekinesis?  Shape shifting?”

Alfred set out a homemade breakfast burrito on a plate for the green teen.  Robin spoke up, “Gourmet cooking.”

Beast Boy’s eyes widened, “That looks amazing.”  He then looked up, “Um…”

Alfred smiled, “Fear not.  I am fully aware of your preferred vegetarian diet.  Your meal contains a bare minimum of animal products.  I will say, I have never scrambled a tofu egg before.”

“How did you know,” Beast Boy asked around a mouthful of breakfast burrito.

He didn’t see the twitch under the disguised butler’s eye, but Robin did.  “First of all, don’t talk with your mouth full.  Second, Agent A knows everything.”

Beast Boy looked back and forth between Robin and Alfred, “Is he…did he teach you how to cook?”

Robin looked up fondly at the disguised butler, “No, but he helped me refine my techniques.”

Robin could tell that Beast Boy had some sneaking suspicions about the duo’s relationship.

Alfred set out another burrito for Robin, then inspected the coffee cup with a wince.  “I see you have found Master Red Robin’s coffee supply.  Even with the extraordinarily large supply of caffeine on hand, try to rest, Master Robin.  You have gone a little too long without sleep for my liking.”

Robin shrugged, “I’ve gone longer before; you know that.”

Alfred sighed, “Yes, I know that.  That doesn’t mean I have to like it.  Healthy habits, Master Robin.  We are looking for healthy habits.  Teenagers need far more rest and sleep than you tend to take for yourself.”

“I was born into the wrong family for that,” Robin responded.

Alfred watched the teens for another minute before saying, “If you two will be able to survive on your own, I’ll take my leave.”

Robin quickly swallowed another bite of his burrito before saying, “I’ll walk you out, Agent A.”

“Thanks for breakfast,” Beast Boy said, “That was awesome.”

“You are quite welcome, Master Beast Boy.  Please do your best to heal soon.”  Alfred left the medical bay, Robin following closely on his heels.

“Master Robin, this is quite unnecessary.  I am perfectly capable of finding my way back to the cave on my own.”

Robin stopped as Alfred typed in the cave coordinates into the Zeta Tube.  “I know, Alfred,” Robin said softly, raising his eye lenses to look at the butler, “I just wanted to say thank you.  And, I have to log your visit into the visitor log.”

Alfred smiled, “Well, I couldn’t let you go hungry, or your convalescing friend, for that matter.”

The Zeta Tube beeped its readiness, and Robin took a step forward and hugged Alfred.  Alfred returned the hug before saying softly, “I believe your friend is waiting for you.”

Robin took a step back and lowered his lenses again, “See you later this afternoon.”

Beast Boy was eyeing Robin as he walked back into the infirmary.  “How far away is the transporter room from here?  That took a while.”

Robin shook his head, “I’m on duty, remember?  I had to see Agent A off, then make a quick sweep of the station.”

Beast Boy nodded, “Oh, right.  Say, that Agent A guy.  Is he your grandfather?”

Robin gave a soft smile, surprising Beast Boy.  Robin spoke softly, “You have no idea how much I wish I could say yes to that question.  No, Agent A is not my grandfather.”

“You two seem awfully close, Rob.”

Robin sighed softly, “We are.  We just aren’t related.”

Beast Boy sighed, “I wish I had superheroes around me all the time, like the rest of you do.  I feel so…disconnected.  Whenever I show up for trainings, I always feel like the odd man out.”

“You’re not the only one,” Robin said.  “Having to be your teacher doesn’t make fitting into the group any easier for me.”

Beast Boy cocked his head, “Huh, I never thought of that.”

Robin eyed Beast Boy for a second, an idea occurring to the teen.  “How do you get to the trainings every week?”

Beast Boy smiled, “I use that transporter thing, and get beamed up.  Why?”

“Which one do you use?”

“Mom drives me to that Titans Tower place.”

Robin nodded, “You live in San Francisco, right?”

Beast Boy returned the nod, “Yep.  Well, just outside the city, but close enough.”

Robin leaned back, thinking.  Beast Boy was still confused at the questions, and as the silence stretched into the minutes, he asked, “Why did you ask all of that?”

“I’m trying to solve your superhero problem, and I think I have an idea.”

Beast Boy’s eyes widened, “Yeah?  What is it?”

Robin looked up, “You’ll have to clear it with your mother, and we’ll have to clear it with the League, but I think we might be able to get you an internship, of sorts.”

Beast Boy looked cautiously interested, “How would that work?”

Robin crossed his arms, “You live near Titans Tower.  Cyborg lives at Titans Tower.  Maybe he can put you to work, and you can be around heroes more often, and learn a few things.”

Beast Boy gasped and leaned forward with a wince, “That would be awesome!  Do you really think I could do that?”

Robin shrugged, “Don’t move, you’ll hurt your ribs again.  Like I said, we’ll have to clear it with Cyborg and the Justice League, but I think there’s a good chance they’ll go for it.”

Beast Boy was all smiles as he laid back again, “Thanks, Rob.  That would be so cool.  Hey, do you know what time it is in Gotham City?”

Robin checked his PDA, “One-fifteen.  Do you remember how to use the phone?”

“Yeah, I…” Beast Boy trailed off, “How did you know I wanted to call my mom?”

Robin smirked, “A team leader has to know how to read his team.  You’re an open book to me.  Get some rest when you’re done.  I need to do some checks, to at least make it look like I’m actually monitoring my shift.”

Robin made a trip around the Watchtower before returning to the control room.  He sighed wearily upon entering the space and said, “How do I activate the intruder alarm again?”

Red Robin turned around in the computer chair and smiled at the younger Robin, “Don’t say that too loud.  The voice command system might think you’re serious.”

“What are you doing here, Red,” Robin asked, approaching his brother, “And why didn’t the system alert me to the Zeta Tube being activated?”

Robin sat down in a second chair as Red Robin spoke, “You tripped the alarm on my coffee stash.”

Robin looked over incredulously, “You alarmed your coffee stash?”

Red Robin’s smile grew, “You really have been awake too long, little brother.  A told me when he got back.”

Robin sighed, “In my defense; that is the sort of thing you would do.”

Red Robin chuckled, “Haven’t seen you since the brawl yesterday.  Bats said you were taking care of a patient, so I thought I would help you out a bit.”

“That isn’t necessary, Red Robin,” Robin said before looking down at his lap, “But…thank you.  Um, I didn’t hurt you yesterday, did I?”

“No more than I hurt you,” Red Robin replied.

Robin gave a rare, in-uniform smile, “Then you’re okay.”

Red Robin looked at the side of Robin’s face, where a bruise had formed next to his ear.  He poked at the spot and asked, “Where did you get that?”

Robin flinched at the poke and said, “I let one of Hood’s punches get through, in order to set up a better attack.  I didn’t know it left a bruise.”

Red Robin nodded, “Okay.  How’s your friend?”

“He was talking to his mother when I left him.  He’s recovering.  I wanted to talk to you about Beast Boy.  Do you think Cyborg would be willing to take him on in a mentor role?”

Red Robin thought for a minute, “I don’t see why not.  Why Cyborg, though?”

Robin leaned back in his chair, “Beast Boy lives in the San Francisco area.  He already goes to the Tower to Zeta to group trainings.”

Red Robin shrugged, “I’ll run it past him the next time we talk.”

Robin nodded once, “Good.  I need my team to be more prepared than yours.”

Red Robin looked concerned at the statement, “It’s not a competition, Robin.”

Robin smirked, “Have you met our Father?  It’s _always_ a competition.”

Red Robin gave a short laugh, “Yes, I guess so.  Oh, do me a favor.  Don’t throw a fit when he tells you that you aren’t patrolling tonight.  You need your rest.”

Robin thought for a second before shrugging, “As long as Father is able to get Beast Boy back to his mother, without either of us getting arrested, I’m okay with sleeping tonight, instead of patrolling.”

Red Robin eyed Robin as the teen yawned expansively, “Did you want to get started on that a little early?  I can cover the rest of your shift.”

Robin shook his head, partially to wake himself up and partially to say no.  “Why does everyone keep asking me that?  No, you can’t cover my shift, because if I remember right, you have the shift after mine.  You don’t start for another three and a half hours, so go home and get some sleep of your own.”

Red Robin stood with a smile, “Okay, Little Brother.  I’ll see you in a few hours.  Oh, by the way…”

Red Robin turned and pressed a button on the console.  The PDA in Robin’s utility belt started beeping.  Robin looked up with a shocked expression on his face, “You hacked my PDA?”

“How else was I going to get aboard, without you noticing,” Red Robin asked innocently.

Robin shook his head, muttering to himself, “I can’t believe you hacked my PDA.”

Red Robin gave the evilest smirk Robin had ever seen come from his older brother, “Just wait until you see what I did to your phone and laptop.”

Robin’s jaw dropped, “You didn’t…”

“You’ll just have to wait until you get home to find out,” Red Robin said, “but at least you’ll be able to stay awake now.”

Red Robin started running for the Zeta Tube, with Robin in hot pursuit, when Beast Boy’s voice came over the intercom system.  “Robin?  Are you still here?  Hey, this thing is loud.”

Robin stopped in his tracks, and Red Robin was able to escape.  Robin headed back to the medical bay to find Beast Boy sitting up in bed.

“What are you doing?  You’re supposed to be resting.”

Beast Boy glanced at the teen with a wince, “I’m tired of laying around.  My side is itching like crazy, too.”

Robin approached the bed, “That’s a good sign.  Martian Manhunter gave you something to get your ribs to heal faster.  That itch is your bones knitting.”

“What did he give me,” Beast Boy asked curiously.

Robin shook his head, “I didn’t ask, he didn’t tell.  I can guarantee you that, whatever it was, you can’t find it on Earth.”

Beast Boy was giving a conflicted look, but shrugged with a wince.  “As long as it works.  Where’s the bathroom around here?”

Robin smirked, bent over, and picked up a bedpan from the floor.  Beast Boy gave a flat look as Robin set it on the bed.

“No.”

“You’re a patient,” Robin said, “You need to get the full patient experience.”

Beast Boy shook his head slowly, then stopped as a smile slowly crossed his face, “Okay, but only because you will have to clean it out.”

“Will I,” Robin said craftily.

“Come on, Rob.  I really gotta go.”

Robin pressed a couple buttons on the bed, lowering it closer to the floor.  Robin sat at Beast Boy’s uninjured side and helped him stand, with an arm around his shoulder.

“Take it slow, now.  Try not to move your other arm.  Tell me if I’m going too fast.”

The pair shuffled down the hall to the restroom, and Robin held the door open for the younger teen.  “If you need more help than this, tell me now, because I plan on waiting out here if you don’t.”

Beast Boy took a deep breath, “I should be okay.”

Robin stopped Beast Boy with a hand on his shoulder, “Don’t move your left arm.  If you have to move it, only move it from the elbow down.  Don’t put any pressure on that arm.  Don’t bend or twist, if you can help it.  If you need anything, I’m right out here.”

Several minutes later came the sound of a flush and the sink running, before the door opened on a cringing Beast Boy.  Robin’s eyes widened as he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I twisted,” Beast Boy said, with pain in his voice.

“I told you not to do that,” Robin said, positioning himself under Beast Boy’s arm as he helped the green teen back to the medical bay.

“I couldn’t help it.  I was reaching for the toilet paper.  It’s a reflex.”

Robin helped position Beast Boy back in the bed, then walked around to the teen’s damaged side.  He reached for the youth before stopping himself.

Robin met Beast Boy’s eyes before saying, “Now, don’t take this the wrong way.”

Beast Boy was about to ask what he wasn’t supposed to take wrong when Robin reached down and lifted Beast Boy’s shirt.  Robin pulled off one glove with his teeth before feeling Beast Boy’s ribs.  Beast Boy flinched at the contact.

“Does that hurt,” Robin asked.

Robin hadn’t done anything to intentionally hurt the teen, and Beast Boy recognized that.  “Yeah, it hurts there.”

Robin nodded, “They don’t feel broken anymore.  They’ll be sore for a while, though.”  Robin walked to a cabinet and pulled out a tube of Icy Hot.  “This should help with the pain, if you want to try it.”

Beast Boy looked at the label on the tube and nodded, “Yeah, sure.”

Robin tried to be as gentle as possible as he rubbed the ointment on the teen’s side.  Robin washed his hands before putting his gloves back on and pulling a chair up next to the bed.

Beast Boy sighed and asked, “Am I really going to be okay?”

Robin nodded, “It’s just a couple broken ribs.  Your lung was fixed.  You’ll be fine.”

“Something’s confusing me,” Beast Boy said.

“What,” Robin asked.

Beast Boy looked a little nervous before saying, “You have this reputation of being a real jerk.  You even told me yourself that is how you are, but…I don’t know.  You’ve always been really nice to me.  I haven’t seen anything like how people say you are.  Well, except that time you tried to kill Superboy.”

Robin leaned forward and planted his elbows on his knees.  He smiled and said, “Well, first impressions are hard to break, and I didn’t exactly go out of my way to try to make good ones when I first started in the hero community.”

“But, why,” Beast Boy asked, sounding confused.

“I was a different person back then.  One of these days, I might even tell you who and what I was.”

Beast Boy thought for a second, “I think I’d settle for hearing about who you are now.”

“I already told you; not until you are clear of Gotham City.”  Robin then smiled, “You’re going to have to be observant to figure it out, though.”

Beast Boy matched the smile, “You’re just going to send me a message on Facebook, aren’t you?”

Robin shook his head, “You will never find me on social media.  If there was anti-social media, I might look into that, but never on social media.  Social media is the bane of modern society.  I know enough about you to get you messages other ways.”

Beast Boy asked, “What other ways?”

Robin smirked, “I know your cell phone number.  I know your home phone number.  I know your home address.  I know your Xbox gamertag.  I know your Playstation Network I.D.  I know your favorite pizza parlor.  I know your mailman.  I know people who live around you, who could pass you messages.  I know more about you than you think you know about yourself.”

Beast Boy was amazed at the list, “What are you going to do with all of that?”

Robin smiled, “I don’t know yet.  I might just mess around with you for a while.  Maybe I’ll have the pizzeria spell out my phone number in olives on a pizza.  I’m already on your Xbox and Playstation friends lists.  Maybe I’ll send you a random game invite.  Maybe I’ll send you something in the mail.  Maybe I’ll just show up at your front door one day.”

Beast Boy smiled at the older teen, “Are you always this playful?”

Robin gave a short laugh, “No.  That is a more recent character addition.  I’m probably just suffering the effects of sleep deprivation.”

The boys were silent for a minute before Beast Boy’s eyes widened, “Wait, you’re already on my friends lists?  Which one are you?”

Robin smirked, “You’ll just have to figure that one out.”

“Of course,” Beast Boy grumbled, “You give me something I can’t check out until I get home.”

Robin checked the time on his PDA and noticed that there was only a half hour left of his shift.  _This hasn’t been so bad.  Despite his character, Beast Boy has been good company.  I might not have been able to stay awake this shift without him here._

“Hey, are you ready to go?  How is your side doing?”

Beast Boy looked surprised, “Go?  Are we going somewhere?”

Robin nodded, “Martian Manhunter said you could leave when my shift is done.  I’ve got half an hour left before I’m relieved.”

Beast Boy’s eyes widened, “Already?  Wow, this has gone quick.”

“How’s your side?”

Beast Boy shrugged, “You know, if I don’t think about it, it doesn’t hurt.”

“How about when you’re thinking about it,” Robin asked.

“It’s not too bad,” the green teen said.

Robin nodded, “Good.  Remember to take it easy for the next week or so.  I’ll explain to the team why you aren’t in training this week.  Let’s get you ready to go.”

Beast Boy looked hesitant, “But…do we have to?”

Robin cocked his head, “What do you mean?”

Beast Boy looked down, “Well, I’m having fun.  I don’t have many real friends; just the ones who are interested in the ‘beast’ part of me, not the ‘boy’.  You’re a real friend, Rob.”

Robin shrugged, but Beast Boy caught a hint of a blush in his cheeks, “You did the same for me, once.”

Beast Boy sighed, “I’m going to miss hanging out with a friend.”

Robin eyed the teen, “When are you and your mother going home?”

“Tomorrow.  Day after.  I’m not sure.”

Robin gave a small smirk, “There might be something waiting for you by the time you get home.  A little hint.”

“Now you’re making me want to leave,” Beast Boy said.

Robin nodded, “Yes.  If that doesn’t do it, then how about seeing your mother again?”

Beast Boy gave a soft smile, “Yeah, I want to see her.  Don’t you want to go home and see your mom?”

Robin recoiled in shock, “Absolutely not!”  Robin had almost shouted, then reigned in his reaction, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.  If you knew my mother, you would understand my reaction.  It’s…complicated.”

“Sorry,” Beast Boy said softly.

“I would like to see my Father,” Robin said, trying to salvage the situation.

Beast Boy smiled, “Then let’s get both of us home.”

“Right,” Robin said, before looking around.  “Wait a second, I need to get something.”

Robin left the room before Beast Boy could ask what was going on.  The Boy Wonder was back in a couple minutes, holding Beast Boy’s clothes.

Beast Boy’s eyes widened, “Yeah, I might need those.  Where were they?”

“Martian Manhunter put them through the laundry.  They, um, had blood on them.”

Beast Boy looked down at the reminder of why he had really spent the night at the Watchtower.  “Oh, right.  Um, thanks.”

Robin looked down uncomfortably, “I can help you put those on, if that won’t make you too uncomfortable, and if you want the help.  You probably shouldn’t be bending yet.”

Beast Boy blushed deeply, “Well, I guess you already saw me naked once today.  I could use the help.”

Robin helped the green youth stand, “I didn’t, actually.  Your underwear has stayed on since you got here.”

Beast Boy still looked embarrassed as Robin pulled up his pants.  Wanting to make his friend more comfortable, Robin said, “About a year ago, I was stabbed in the arm.  I had some nerve damage and several stitches, and I had a hard time moving my arm for a week or so.  This was before the war.  Do you know how embarrassing it was to have to ask my Father to give me a bath, because I couldn’t reach my whole body, and I couldn’t get my arm wet until the stitches came out?”

Beast Boy smiled as Robin worked his shirt around his stationary left arm, “I’m pretty sure I’m going to find out, when I have to ask my mom for help.”

Robin walked to a drawer and pulled out a packet, “You’re alive.  You have to remember the important parts.  I’m going to give you this sling.  You don’t really need it, but it will just remind you not to move that arm for a couple days.  Give yourself time to heal.  Where are your shoes?”

Beast Boy looked down at his feet, “Oh, I don’t wear any.”

Robin looked down at Beast Boy’s feet and nodded, “Yeah, I guess it would be hard to find shoes that would fit you.  Still, you walked around Gotham barefoot?  Maybe we should get you a tetanus shot?”

“Maybe we should get who a tetanus shot?”

Robin and Beast Boy both turned towards the door as a new voice entered the room.  Batman walked into the medical bay to observe Robin snugging a sling in place around Beast Boy’s neck.

“Who needs a tetanus shot,” Batman asked again.

Robin said, “Beast Boy was walking around Gotham barefooted.  I thought it couldn’t hurt.”

Batman shrugged, “Probably couldn’t.  Are you two ready to go?”

Robin looked at Beast Boy, who blushed a bit.  “What is it,” Robin asked.

“Um, well, we’re in space, right?”

Robin rolled his eyes and beckoned Beast Boy to follow him.  Robin led him to a transparent-walled walkway and let the teen’s jaw drop at the sight.

Batman had followed the boys, and was glad to see his son interacting with a friend.

Several minutes later, Beast Boy turned away from the view of eternity with a content sigh, “Thanks, Rob.  Now, I’m ready.”

Robin turned to Batman and asked, “How are we doing this?”

“I’ll drive him back to the hotel,” Batman said, “Ms. Logan will meet us in the parking garage.”

Robin smirked, “You, or Agent A?”

Batman rolled his eyes under his cowl, “I’ll take care of it.”

Robin nodded, “Is Red Robin back yet?”

Batman nodded, “He came the same time I did.  You are relieved, Robin.”

“Do I need to report anything to him?  I made a few log entries.”

“I think Red Robin can handle it,” Batman said softly.  He then turned to Beast Boy, “We will be going to the Batcave, and I will drive you back to the hotel, to your mother.  Do I need to blindfold you, or can I trust that you will go directly to the car?”

Beast Boy’s eyes widened, “The Batcave?  No, please don’t blindfold me!”

Robin rolled his eyes under his mask as they headed for the Zeta Tube.

Once back in the cave, Batman was all business, “Beast Boy, the car.  Robin, go to bed.  You’ve been awake for thirty-six hours.  I don’t want to see you until tomorrow morning.”

Robin wasn’t going to tell Batman that it was actually closer to forty hours that he’d been awake.  He yawned and said, “Yes, Father.  Oh, he still doesn’t know who we are, so it is safe for him to talk to the police.  Um, come and see me, when you get back.  I…I want to have that talk that we talked about yesterday.”

Beast Boy took a step closer to Robin and said, “Um…thanks.  You know, for everything.”

Robin was a bit flustered as he said, “It’s what we do.  I couldn’t let that gang commit a murder on the street.”

Beast Boy looked at the floor, “It’s more than that.  You didn’t have to stay with me.  You didn’t have to keep me company, but you did.  I, um, I really appreciate that.”

Robin spoke softly, so Beast Boy had to lean in a bit to hear him, “No one treats my teammates the way you were treated yesterday.  No one does that to my friends, either.  Not if I can stop it.”

Beast Boy smiled as he realized that Robin just called him a friend, “Thanks.”

Robin gave a smirk, “Remember, you will have to be observant to pick up on the clues I’m going to leave you.”

“When are you going to start,” Beast Boy asked.

“I can’t tell you that,” Robin said, “It would ruin the surprise.”

“Boys,” Batman called from the Batmobile, “It’s time.”

Beast Boy headed for the Batmobile with a wave to Robin.  Once the car had left the cave, Dick came out of the locker room, to the surprise of Damian, who was pulling his mask off as he walked to the showers.

“What are you doing down here, Dick?  That’s awfully risky, with a visitor who just left.”

Dick smiled as he threw an arm around his little brother.  “I knew Bruce was going to take him from the tube straight to the car.  There was little risk.  You did good today, Little Brother.”

Damian pulled off his tunic before turning back to Dick, “What do you mean?”

Dick could tell that the teen was a little more than half asleep, “You saved your friend’s life, and then you stayed with him until he could go home.  That is something a caring friend does.  Don’t try telling me you were just doing your job.  I know better than that.”

Damian shuffled over and hugged Dick.  Dick returned the hug with a contented sigh as Damian said, “Don’t let that get around.”

Damian walked to the shower and Dick said, “I don’t see why you want to keep it a secret that you care.  You don’t have to impress anyone.  You are learning and growing; you are allowed to show it.”

Several minutes later, Damian walked out of the shower to find Dick still waiting for him.  Dick threw a pair of pajamas to the dripping teen as Damian asked, “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

Dick smiled, “Nope.  I’m just following orders.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “I told Father I would go to bed.”

“Nope, not his orders.”

Damian nodded as he got dressed, “Fine, whatever, but we’re stopping by to say goodnight to Alfred on our way.”

Dick rose and followed the teen towards the stairs, “It’s not exactly on the way, but I think he’ll appreciate the detour.”

 

**A/N: I wish I’d thought of this story earlier.  That way, I could have worked Robin’s hints about his identity into other stories.  I’ll still try to get some in, but the stories they would have fit into have already been written and posted.  Oh well.**

**Good news, I have started writing the second chapter of Hero Hunt.  I’m not sure exactly how many chapters that one will go yet, but I’m thinking somewhere around 8-10, or maybe more, depending on how the story goes.**

**Like always, I love reading your comments.  Many times they will influence future stories.**

**Thanks for playing along.**


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